Sílvia Pérez Cruz stands among the most compelling voices of Spain, a singer and multi‑instrumentalist whose repertoire draws from Iberian and Latin American traditions, classical music, jazz, flamenco and folk. Across albums from 11 de Novembre to Toda la vida, un día, her work balances intimate storytelling and expansive phrasing. On stage, her voice shapes poetic forms that turn private feeling into a collective experience, framed by subtle instrumental textures and an attentive, cinematic sense of atmosphere.

From Bogotá, Ghetto Kumbé are a trio of singer‑shamans and virtuoso percussionists who fuse electro‑Caribbean beats, techno, house and Afro‑Colombian and West African rhythms into a ritual of dance and trance. Their mesmerising grooves shift between chant and propulsive percussion, creating a physical, communal atmosphere that channels collective vibration and festive resistance. Live, the trio prioritises deep rhythmic immersion and political urgency, inviting bodies into a cathartic, transformative sound experience.

Giorgio Poi’s intimate pop blends Italian dreamscapes and sunlit melancholy. The singer-songwriter and producer frames silky melodies with crystalline guitars and vintage textures, creating luminous, nostalgic songs that feel timeless. On his recent album Schegge he collaborated closely with Laurent Brancowitz of Phoenix, refining a sound that pairs elegance with effortless groove. Live, subtle arrangements and warm, detailed production invite the listener into a contemplative, late-summer atmosphere.

Trumpeter Shems Bendali, based in Suisse romande, blends jazz with Algerian musical traditions to craft narrative, deeply sensitive music. Leading his quintet, he shapes a personal language where memory and imagination converge. His latest album, Casbah Qassioun, unfolds a science-fiction universe between the Maghreb and the Middle East, inspired by a futuristic comic-book aesthetic and serving as the backdrop for intimate, contemplative compositions.

Led by the ensemble Canticum Novum, Samâ‑ï blends early music with Mediterranean and Near Eastern traditions to trace the layered history of Aleppo. Vocal textures and period and traditional instruments weave songs and modes that evoke a city of converging cultures—Byzantine, Arab, Ottoman, Armenian, Christian and Jewish—exploring memory, coexistence and passage. The performance favors attentive listening, offering intimate, richly textured soundscapes that bridge historical practice and living tradition.

BCUC, the Soweto-born septet, channels Afro-psychedelia into a heady fusion of indigenous funk, politically charged hip‑hop and punk energy. Born from jam sessions in a shipping container, the group blends hypnotic grooves and communal call-and-response into incendiary live rituals. Their WOMEX Artist Award (2023) underscores a practice that gives contemporary voice to ancestral traditions, confronting unheard realities while celebrating spiritual richness with raw, psychedelic force and relentless, dance-driven intensity.